Muslim Minority in Thrace

[Titus]

Originally Posted by Reaper

So after all this, roughly what percent would you say is pomak and what percent ethnic turk out of all the muslims in northern Greece.

According to the Greek government (www hri.org/MFA/foreign/musmingr.htm):

Την μειονότητα απαρτίζουν τρείς εθνοτικές ομάδες: 50 % είναι τουρκικής καταγωγής, 35% Πομάκοι και 15% Αθίγγανοι.

[Reaper]

Thanks, it is sad that most foreigners believe them all turkish.

[Titus]

Pomaks identify themselves with the Turks and, in the presence of outsiders, would even change the language of communication among themselves from Pomak into Turkish (Seyppel, 1989:47; Frangopoulos, 1990:90; Dimitras, 1991:77). Most Pomaks have today a double identity: an ethnic Pomak and a national Turkish one (see Dede, 1994:13). This assimilation into the Turkish nation was certainly helped by the Greek state’s decision, in 1951, to introduce Turkish-language education for Pomaks in an effort to distance them from Bulgarians. But, it is believed that the main reason for the Muslim minority’s homogenization has been the Pomaks’ feeling that through their identification with Turks they would no longer be a minority into a minority, or have no one to defend their rights (source).

I guess this is why foreigners believe that. While I'm not going to criticize the Pomaks' choice (I strongly believe in everyone's right to self-identification and this is why I dismiss claims that the Slavs of Greek Macedonia are a "Macedonian minority" - because the people themselves say they are Greeks), I do think, as I say above, that it's a shame that Pomakika is not taught in the minority schools, even in the mountainous areas of Xanthi where they are the only Muslims.

[Nikephoros]

I found this website based in Germany from the friendly Turks:

https://www.abttf.org/

No way they have the funds on their own to have such a web presense in so many languages and to maintain/translate a newsletter in so many languages(Turkish, English, Greek, German).